Glenveagh National Park - Recalling Special Childhood Memories

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By Shane Smyth, Tourism Officer, Donegal County Council
As a child we never went on foreign holidays. The odd trip to the UK to see my mum’s sister was about the height of it. As a result, we very much holidayed at home – a day or two here, a night or two there. One of the places that brings back great memories for me, holidaying with my mum, dad and brother was somewhere in the county which remains my favourite place to this day – Glenveagh National Park.

Apart from the memories of being there as a young cub with my brother and late parents, Glenveagh is just something special. The trails, the gardens and of course the magnificent castle – I was much older before I got the chance to take a tour of it.

As soon as you head up the driveway to Ireland’s second largest national park and start to see Lough Veagh and the mountains raising from the shoreline, the vastness of the park really comes to the fore – in fact it is approximately 16,000 hectares so trying to cover it in one day isn’t really possible – however, get there early enough and you’ll see some important bits! From numerous childhood visits to ensuring to bring friends there as they visit the county, it never fails to impress. The park in fact held such memories for me in secondary school that in art class I painted a painting of it in oils which hangs in my house to this day.'
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flexible_blocks_2_wysiwyg_content_block => 'We are so lucky to have this wonderful amenity in the county and that it opens all year round so if you’re there on a mid summer’s day or in the dead of winter you can experience the different seasons – and it being Ireland, you can often experience those 4 seasons in one day anyways! Ideally out of the main summer season would be a better time to visit as it will be a little less crowded but with 16,000 ha you’ll always find somewhere for yourself!

For someone who’s never been before and might not have allocated a huge amount of time to their visit, I’d recommend getting down to the castle and doing the self guided tour – park up and head for the visitor centre who will sort you out with your bus ticket and castle ticket. The only electric bus in the county will then take you the 4km down to the castle. (You can also walk this on the designated path but… time 😊)

The drive down is spectacular – you’ll hug the lake edge for most of the journey and get to experience the many different landscapes offered at Glenveagh. Once at the castle you can take the self guided tour – it shouldn’t take you longer than a half hour to do this. The café in the castle courtyard then provides a nice spot to sit and take everything in as well as enjoying some nice home cooked food or a tasty baked treat. The next thing to check out are the gardens – even if you’re not into gardening, you can’t help but be awed by the beauty of them as they surround much of the castle and are tended to all year round. You can check out the Tuscan garden, the Italian terrace, the walled garden and the famous 67 steps!'
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flexible_blocks_4_wysiwyg_content_block => 'The original Victorian garden was laid out for Cornelia Adair, beginning in 1885 – 12 years after the completion of the castle, and then further developed by Henry P McIllhenny during his ownership of Glenveagh Castle right up until he sold it to the Irish State. You can watch a fascinating documentary on him and his life on the RTE Player here. (Note this may not be available in all territories)

The castle has had a few owners in its history (it is now owned by the Irish State and managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service), however one of the most mysterious was Professor Arthur Kingsley Porter of Harvard University who came to study Irish archaeology and purchased the castle, which had been in decline, in 1929. Their stay was to be short however as Arthur Kingsley Porter mysteriously disappeared during a visit to Inishbofin Island in 1933. You can check out a tv documentary about him on the TG4 Player here (may not be available in all territories) and also an RTE Documentary on One podcast presented by my friend Marc McMenamin “The Lost Millionaire” below or wherever you get your podcasts.

I try to get to Glenveagh as much as I can – at least a few times a year. On a nice day there’s nothing better than parking up, heading down past the visitor centre and then by foot on the 4km trail to the castle, listening to a podcast or an audiobook. A nice sandwich in the castle café or find a spot to eat a packed lunch and then a wander through the gardens will take you into another world – I will take even more photos of the lake, the castle and the gardens (to add to my already big collection of them) and then head back to the car. This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploration and there are many kilometres of trails and cycle paths past the castle and deep into the valley.'
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flexible_blocks_8_wysiwyg_content_block => 'The “instamoments” are plentiful but just opposite the bus shelter near the visitor centre is a beautiful shot which looks right down the valley and also at the castle overlooking the outdoor heated pool (seriously!), again down the valley over the lake.

For first timers to the park, on your way out, take a left at the main gate and head further into the Gaeltacht area and Dunlewey to see Donegal’s tallest mountain Errigal on your right and down in the valley on your left the poisoned glen and the old ruined church (built around 1853) which has become an iconic symbol of the county.

During a visit to Donegal, a trip to Glenveagh National Park is an absolute must and we are so blessed to have this wonderful amenity on our doorstep.'
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